Electric mechanism for starting automobiles and the like.



C. B. KURTZ.

ELECTRIC IVIECHANISNI FOR STARTING AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. I0. 1913. IIENEwED DEC. I, 191s.

1,230,175. Patent@ June 19, 19W.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I I I C. B. KURTZ. RIC NIECHANISM FOR-STARTING AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE.

ELECT APPLICATION FILED FEB. I0, 1913. RENEWED DEC.

CYRS B. KURTZ, F GRINNELL, IOWA.

ELECTRIC MECHAN ISM FOR STARTING R Specification of Letters Patent.

.application filed February 1Q, 1913, Serial No. 747,252.

To @ZZ whom it' may concern.'

Be it known that I, CYRUS B. KURTZ, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Grinnell, county of Poweshiek, and State have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Mechanism .for Starting Automobiles and the like, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions. p

The present improved electric mechanism, designed,

' start-ing automobiles and the like is con;

structed on they principle of uni-polar or invention. then,

homo-polar induction. As is Well known, strictly speaking there is no such thing as v4uni-polar induction, since a single magnetic pole cannot exist by itself. However, continuous cutting of lines of magnetic force can exist, and produces, unlike the ordinary bi-polar induction, .a continuous, or direct, current. Conversely, such a continuous current can be utilized for and this is the principle of construction inpresent device Where utilized as a motor, the device being also adaptable, for the production of a. continuousgor direct, current, if desired. The object of the invention is-the construction of a device of this sort of such compact form that it may be directly incorporated in an ordinary ily- Wheel, such as is universally employed in connection with internal explosion motors, both in automobiles and elsewhere. To the accomplishment of this and related ends, the

consists of the means hereinafter lfully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

he annexed drawings and the following description Set forth in detail certain mechanism einl'iodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

ln said annexed drawings Figure l is a partial longitudinal axial sectionv and partial side elevation of a device embodying the present improvements, such device being' shown as incorporated in a flywheehas just suggested; Fig. 2 is a part AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE.

Patented J une 19, 191'?. Renewed December 1, 1916. Serial No.` 134.508.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the plane 3`3, Fig. l

The device as shown in the foregoing described drawings, is primarily designed tor use as a motor to positively rotate the crankhe engine in order to start the The current, for present purposes, may be regarded-as coming from the usual storage battery, to which such current is initially supplied from an outside source, a separate generator, or the device in hand operating as a generator.

The only portion of the internal combustion motor or engine appearing in the drawings is one end of the crank case l and a corresponding section of the crank-shaft 2, Whiehprojects Without said case to receive the modified ily-Wheel 3, in exactly the same fashion as it ordinarily receives the solid iywheel as at present constructed. This flywheel, furthermore, is shown as a part of a typical cone clutch, the opposing member 4, of which is shown in dotted outline only. Said fly-'Wheel 3 is conveniently secured to the crank shaft by means of bolts 5 passing through the same and a flange 6 on the crank shaft, and Will be constructed en steel. lVhile necessarily made in parts e inclusion therein ot the i and other mechanism presently to be escribed, such tlyovheel may in effect be regarded. as an integral structure through which the magneticcurrent will iiow around theeoil.

Such coil is of annular forni solidly einbedded in the fly-Wheel as shown, being directly connected electrically at its inner ter minal 8 With the materia-l of the ily-Wheel, While its other, outer terminalA 9, although passing through the fly-Wheel, is carried in a duct or passage l0 formed in the latter and is electrically insulated therefrom. This outer terminal 9 of the coil is, however, electrically connected with a plunger ll, preterably of brass, which is pressed, b v means ot' a spring 12. radially inward so as to contact with a collecting ring 13.

Said collecting ring is part of a sliell-likc structure independent from, although carried by the fly-Wheel just described. The main portion 14 of said shell is on the hub 15 of the ily-wheel, which eX- tends toward the crank case of the engine, ball races and balls, forming an anti-friction bearing 16, being introduced between said shell and hub. T- e inner portion 17 of the journaled shell, to which the col-lectii'ug` ring 13 is attached, is similarly supported on an antifriction bearing 18 on the adjacent vportion of the fly-wheel so that said shell as a whole l' 5 is vfreely rotatable about the latter. Provision is made ifor conducting the current `from the collecting rings 13 wherewith the brush 11 contacts` through said shell, to a second collecting ,ring 19 onv the minor face 1o of the shell, such provision including preferably the making of the shell of conducting material. lWhere Vthe shell is thus utilized for the conduction of this current, it 4requires to be suitably insulated against yelectrical contact with the main body of the ilywheel, as will be readily understood. A

Carried by the main portion 14 of the shell are one lor more pairs of pinions'20,

21,. (preferably two or three such pairs of these will be employed), such pinions being mounted on stub shafts 22- and the firstnamed being keyed to the hub or otherwise non-rotatably secured to the vvlast-named. lWhile these pinions are of substantially, the

25 same diameter, they have vdierent numbers of teeth as will'be explained subsequently. ylhe lirst'pinion 2O mesheswith gear 4teeth 23 formed directly on the hub of the fiy= wheel as shown, ,whiletthe other pinion21 r meshes with n adjacent, annular gear 24, that'is rotatably mounted onsaid hub, said annular gear extending without the shell and there being provided with a flange 25.

This gear 24, or rather the flange thereof, V has good electrical Contact with the hub of \the fly-wheel, so that 4current received from a brush 26 bearing against the face of ,the disk may pass directly fromsuch flange or gear through the hub and body of the lly- '40 wheel to the inner terminal 8 of the'field coil 7. From the outer extremity or terminal 9 of such coil the current path is through-- the'plunger 11, the collector ring 13, and the parts 17 and 14 of the shell,'which carries Y4.5 such current to the collector ring 19 on the inner face of the shell? Bearing against this last-named collector ring is a plunger* or vbrush 27 that is carried'by the flange 25 of the ,annular gear 24,4 but electrically in- '50- sulated therefrom and connected with a third collecting ring 28, which is likewise electrically insulated from said flange. t is through this third collecting ring that' the electric circuit with the source 29 of 55 vcurrent supply is completed, as diagramniatically shown in Fig. 1: The flange 25 of the gear, furthermore, is provided with al clutch co-'acting with a fixed disk `or equivalent' member 30 rigidly attached to the crank "asev or other external part whereby rotation of the gear is permitted in one direction only. This member 25 -and gear 24 when held from rotation by the clutch serve as a reaction member to e5 absorb the .external thrust of the starting vice versa,

' field coil portion of Fig. 1. There will, accordingly,

` the gear ratio.

tions,

30, so as to prevent the flange from rotating to the right as viewed in said figure, while it may nevertheless rotate freely 1n the opposite direction.

It has been previously explained that the number of teeth on thel two pinions 2O and 80 21 is different; similarly the number of teeth on the hub of the fly-Wheel is different from the number on the annular gear, so that a differential effect is produced when said flywheel is rotated relatively to the gear; or, 35

so that the fly-wheel will be rotated when the shell isv rotated, the'ratio of gears being such that a considerable reduction occurs .betweenthe shell and the ily-wheel, -assuming the former to be the driving member;h Such shell does become the driving member if, with all the parts stationary, a current is passed through the by Yclosing the exterior portion of the circuit that is connected with the two collecting rings on the flange of the annular gear '24', since the path of the current through the'shell cuts the linesA of force of' the field coil as indicated in the sectional be a reaction betweensaid shell, which may be regarded -as-an armature, and the flywheel with-the field coil carried thereby.- The direction of the resulting rotation of the armature is such that it will tend to turn the annular gear to the right, that is in a clock-wise direction, asshown in Fig. 3'. Such rotation, however, is prevented by the I' .action of lthe clutch between the flange and the stationary member 30. Thereupon any further rotation of the armature will cause the fly-wheelV to rotate, but at a reduced speed, depending Vupon the gear ratios, which may be readily calculated to-give any desired result in thisparticular.

yfgear ratio of 103 to 1 will figure up a voltage of six at sixty R. P. M. of the flywheel or field. i

The direction of. rotation ofthe elements in the present construction is determined by If it be assumed that the gear 24 on the' vstationary member has twenty teeth, the geary 21 nineteen teeth, the gear 20 twenty-one teeth, and the gear 23 eighteen teeth, then the armature and flywheel will be revolving in Lopposite direcbut this can be changed .by merely varying the number-of teeth of the gears. The advantage of having the armature and field rotating 1n opposite directions is, ofy me course, to secure greater tween the two elements.

In case it is desired to have the'armature and field rotating in the same direction some other gear ratio must be used such, for eX- ample, as nineteen teeth on the gear 24, twenty teeth on the gear 21, eighteen teeth on the gear 20, and twenty-one teeth on the gear 23. In this combination the ield and armature are rotating in the same direction as can be readily calculated from the above data;

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

l' therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention l. The combination with a combustion engine and a reaction member; of a ield con- Afield and ari nected to said combustion engine, an armature arranged to cutvthe lines of magnetic force or said field, and a mechanical driving connection between said ield and re-action member, said connection being controlled by the operation of said armature.

2. The combination with a combustion engine and a reaction member; of rotatable dynamo electric members, one being connected to said combustion engine, and diiferential mechanism connected to each of said dynamo electric members and to said reaction member, and electrical connections adapted to operate said dynamo members,

ln mechanism of the character described the combination of a rotatable field member, and a rotatable member arranged to continuously cut the lines of magnetic force of said iield member, a non-rotatable Igear member, and gearing connecting said iield and armature members, said armature member carrying a gear engaging said nonrotatable `ear member to produce rotation ,of said field member.

4f.. In mechanism of the character described, the combination oit a rotatable field member; a rotatable armature member arranged to continuously cut the lines of magnetic :torce of said field member; a gear member adapted to turn in one direction only; and pinions carried by said armature member and engaging said held member and gear, respectively, said pinions lbeing adapted to produce a relative rotation between said atm-e members.

@opten of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the ominissoaer oi"- :Pate

relative speed be- I `latters axis; a rotatable shell cri-axial W1 5. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a rotatable icld a member; a rotatable armature'member ar ranged to continuously cut the lines of mag netic force of said field member; gear 'teeth on said field member; a coaxial gear; a clutch cooperating with said gear to permit its rotation in onedirection only; and pinions carried by said armature member and meshing with the teeth on said field member and gear respectively, the ratios between said pinions and the respective gears vliereivith they mesh being different.

6. In mechanism of the character de scribed, the combination of the fly Wheel of an internal combustion motor; a lield coil carried by said wheel and surrounding lthe /i latters axis; a rotatable shell cc-axial with said Wheel; a conductor carried by said slieli so as to continuously cut the lines f netic force of said field coil; and connecting said shell and Wheel, they-may rotate together but at speeds. p 7. In mechanism of the characteI scribed, the combination of the fly Wh i an internal combustion motor; a field coil carried by said Wheel and surrounding the il said Wheel; a conductor carried by said sheli so as to continuously cut the lines oi' magnetic force of said field coil; a gear member adapted to turn in one direction only; and pinions carried by said shell and en said wheel and gear, respectively, sam ions being adapted to produce a relative ro tation between said Wheel and shell.

8. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of the fiy Wheel oi' an internal combustion motor; a held coil carried by said Wheel and surrouiulingl e latters axis; a rotatable shell co-arial with said Wheel; a conductor carried by said shell so as to continuously cut the lines of niagnetic force of said iield coil; gear teeth on said Wheel; a co-aXial gear; a clutch coperating With said gear to permit its rotation in one direction only; and pinions ca rried by said shell and meshing with the teeth on said Wheel and gear, respectively, 'the ratios between said pinions and the respective Whereivith they mesh being different.

Signed by me, this e day of February, 1913.

CYRUS L. Lilli-T? Attested by E. M. Mummia, L. G. Lin/mur'.

Washington, D. C. 

